Page 14 of Fanged Embrace

Laurie’s stare intensified, and I stared back, unblinking. After a beat, something shifted in her expression. “Wait…” she said, her voice going quiet and careful, like she was putting puzzle pieces together mid-sentence. “You really don’t know what I’m talking about?”

“No,” I said slowly, brows knitting together, “I really don’t.”

A long silence followed. Laurie stared at the tabletop for a beat, then back up at me. Her next words, when they came, weren’t a question. They were a confirmation.

“But you’re vampires.”

All three of us stiffened. Even Amara, who up to this point had been fiddling with the menu, froze mid-fuss. Dylan’s eyes flicked to mine. I didn’t look at her. I kept my gaze on Laurie—her wiry frame, her defensive posture, the storm behind her eyes.

I took a gamble.

“Yes,” I said finally. Calm. Clear. “We are.”

Laurie’s jaw tensed, but I could see she’d already made peace with that part. It confirmed my suspicions—she was already familiar with the supernatural world. The real surprise for her had been our reaction to her snooping. Or lack thereof.

“But we’re not part of any organization,” I added. “Whatever it is you think we’re involved in… we’re not.”

Laurie didn’t relax, not even a little. Her hands were still balled into fists against her thighs, her back pressed so tightly to the booth I worried she might assimilate with the vinyl.

I leaned forward slightly. “What is this organization?”

Her eyes flicked up to mine, quick and sharp. For a second, I thought she might bite back again, clam up like before. But something in my voice must’ve landed differently this time, because she hesitated.

Then Dylan, ever the contrarian, chimed in. “Just because we’re vampires doesn’t mean we’re like, evil. That’s actually kinda rude to assume.”

I went to kick her under the seat, but Amara promptly beat me to it.

“Sure.” Laurie snorted, but it wasn’t amused—it was bitter. “But I know what you're capable of.”

“Dylan,” I warned when the vamp opened her mouth tobite back a scalding retort. She sat back and shrugged, unrepentant, but not pushing further either.

I turned back to Laurie. “Tell me about this organization. We’re investigating something too. Maybe we can help each other out.”

She studied me—really studied me—and whatever she found in my eyes must have soothed her slightly. Her shoulders eased the tiniest fraction.

“I was at the Ikea because I was suspicious,” she said at last. Her voice was quiet. “Reports of missing people. Witnesses too scared to talk, or who swear they saw monsters and then recant a day later.” Her jaw clenched. “There’s a pattern. And I’m trying to trace it.”

“And this… organization?” I pressed.

“I don’t know what they call themselves. But they’re not like you.” Her eyes narrowed. “They don’tpretendto be normal.”

“We’re not pretending,” Amara murmured, almost too softly to hear.

Laurie didn’t look at her. “Not all of them are vampires. Some of them are human. Some of them are… something else entirely,” Laurie continued. “I’ve seen what they do. I’ve seen people taken. Changed.” She looked down. “And I want to stop them.”

There was a long beat of silence.

I looked at Dylan. She was already staring back, unreadable as ever, but I saw the subtle raise of her brow. It was a silent exchange, but we both understood what it meant. This was bigger than a random string of accidents or unrelated attacks. Someone out there was actively recruiting—or experimenting on humans in the city. Turning people and covering up the evidence.

And Laurie had seen it firsthand.

Laurie noticed the look pass between us and her eyes narrowed. She pulled back abruptly in the booth. “I need thebathroom,” she blurted out, already sliding away before I could scrounge up a response.

I watched her go, but didn’t move. Not at first.

A minute ticked by and I looked to the other two. “You think it’s connected? The recent attacks and this… organization?”

“It might be,” Dylan muttered, running fingers through her hair. Then she jerked her chin in the direction of the bathroom. “But how do you know we can trust her?”